Chocolate Covered What? Ginger!

My daughter Kylee surprised me by leaving chocolate covered (your guess is as good as mine) on the stove with a note that said "can you guess what this is, I bet you'll like them".  So, I tried them and my first guess was chocolate covered jalapeno pieces.  She responded "nope"!  After a few more wrong guesses she said, chocolate covered ginger pieces, WHAT?????

I had never heard of them before.  But,being that I am half Asian, I do cook with ginger a lot.  My grandma said that ginger is good for you.  My mom use to boil it and drink the water before she would sing in the choir at church.  She said it soothed her throat.  Apparently there are other health benefits, it's been known to relieve morning sickness, heartburn and headaches.

Chocolate covered fresh ginger is a new candy snack that has been seen served at weddings lately.  Some of the websites I visited sold it for around $7.99 a pound, but you can make the ginger candy without spending a lot of money. Consider making it as a unique holiday gift.

 Things You'll Need:

• 2 lbs. fresh ginger
• Potato peeler
• Sharp knife
• Pot
• Water
• Colander
• 3 cups sugar
• Large bowl
• Spoon
• Airtight container
• 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Double boiler
• Cookie sheet
• Wax paper

Instructions:

• Prepare the ginger to make your candy. Begin by peeling the ginger. Use a potato peeler to remove the skin, and a sharp knife to remove the hard and dry pieces.
• Chop the fresh ginger into long thin strips. Keep the pieces 1/4 inch in thickness and 2 to 3 inches in length.
• Place the ginger in a pot and then cover it with water.
• Bring the ginger to a boil. Continue to boil the ginger pieces for 30 minutes. Remove the ginger once it becomes tender.
• Drain the ginger by placing the pieces in a colander over your sink.
• Add the ginger back to the pot over medium heat. Stir in 2 cups of sugar until it dissolves and starts to bubble. Ensure that the liquid covers the ginger. You may need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to keep the fresh ginger covered.
• Simmer the mixture for 1 hour. Continue to stir the ginger every 5 minutes. When the ginger turns an amber color, remove it from the heat.
• Add 1 cup of sugar to a large bowl. Use a spoon to transfer the ginger into the sugar bowl. Toss the ginger pieces in the dry sugar until completely coated.
•  Place the ginger pieces in an airtight container. Allow the ginger to cool before continuing.
• Melt the chocolate chips by placing it a double boiler. Once the chocolate melts, place the sugar coated ginger pieces in the chocolate.
• Stir the pieces until coated. Remove one ginger piece at a time, and place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
• Place the ginger in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then remove your chocolate covered ginger candy, and place them in an airtight container. An airtight container preserves the candy ginger for a longer duration versus leaving it out on a plate.

Recipe for Chocolate Covered Ginger from ehow.com.